


The Merit of All Things

by Boldlynyooming (arka_r)



Category: Star Trek: Picard
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Elnor needs a hug, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Issues, Gen, Give Elnor a Cat, Romulans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22787794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arka_r/pseuds/Boldlynyooming
Summary: Admiral Picard decided to take Elnor in, with the intention to adopt him himself. However something changed his mind, making him believe that handing Elnor over to potential adoptive parents was the best course of action.Elnor, of course, disagreed.AU where Picard took Elnor instead of leaving him with the Qowat Milat.
Relationships: Elnor & Jean-Luc Picard, Elnor & Laris, Elnor & Zhaban
Comments: 83
Kudos: 103





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i... i have no excuse. i've been waiting for DAYS for a fic like this, but well............. fandom rule number uhhhh: if you want something, you gotta do it by yourself. i guess
> 
> this fic is unbeta'ed because my usual beta is busy. i'll try poking her later lol
> 
> i have no idea where this is going by the way so let's just roll with it

Elnor sat on his seat, hugging The Three Musketeers book close to his chest as he watched stars flashing by on the window. The earlier conversation was still fresh in his mind, and as he blinked, he couldn’t help but recalling it once again.

Admiral Picard had taken him from the house of the Qowat Milat, to take him somewhere where he would be better belonged, with parents who would adopt him and cherish him, once the Admiral took care of his problems. The Admiral did not tell the sisters what his problems were, but even Elnor could see that it was serious. The Admiral’s face was grim as he took Elnor away, and he kept away from Elnor throughout their journey to Earth.

Earth.

Elnor was going to Earth.

He had only heard about Earth from the Admiral’s stories, and the prospect of going to another planet was… scary. Sure, this was not the first time he went to another planet — the first time, it was when the Federation evacuation ships took him away from Romulus to Vashti — but still, it was scary.

But it was only temporary, Elnor tried to cheer himself up. Once the Admiral had taken care of his problems and brought Elnor to finally meet with his adoptive parents, it would be all alright. Everything would be alright. Eventually. 

Satisfied with his own thought, Elnor cautiously cracked the book open, and unfamiliar letters greeted him — Terran letters. The Admiral had always read to him, but he never taught him how to read Terran. Perhaps he could ask the Admiral once they reached Earth. Huffing, Elnor shut the book back once again, and swayed his legs back and forth as he waited for the Admiral to come and read for him.

The Admiral never came.

Eventually, Elnor fell asleep, hugging the book close to his chest as he dreamed about riding into battle on a pink giant tribble, which kept eating a bread made out of glowing star stuff.

—

Earth was not what Elnor expected.

It looked like Romulus, actually, with tall buildings towering at every direction and shuttles flying on the sky. But the buildings looked different, just like the sky was different. Perhaps because it was not, in fact, Romulus. 

Elnor felt sad thinking about his homeplanet, about the fact that he would never see it again. Perhaps if he was older he would be sadder, but instead he simply shook the sad thought away and focused on where he was now.

“The buildings are very tall”, Elnor felt the need to say. 

Admiral Picard gave him the barest hint of smile, but did not say anything. Instead, he kept walking. It was clear that the Admiral was in a rush, yet he did not want to leave Elnor behind, so his steps were somewhere between walking leisurely and walking hurriedly. Elnor trotted by his side, quiet and obedient.

Not for long, though.

“Where are we going?” Elnor asked the Admiral.

“You are meeting with my friends”, Admiral Picard answered. “They will take you to my home, where you will be staying temporarily.”

“Where is it? Your home, I mean”, Elnor asked again.

“Somewhere called France”, Admiral Picard answered.

“Another planet?” Elnor asked. The thought of going to another planet right after landing on this one didn’t sound very appealing to him right now.

“Another region on this planet”, Admiral Picard answered the third time. “You will be using a transporter to get there.”

The Admiral kept saying as if he wouldn’t be going with him, and the thought of being left alone without any familiar face in an unfamiliar planet suddenly terrified him.

“I am feeling scared”, Elnor said as he stopped walking, hugging his book tightly. “Are you not coming with me?”

The Admiral too stopped, and he heaved a sigh as if the weigh of the world rested upon his shoulders. “Elnor, I can’t come with you because I have several matters to attend to”, Admiral Picard told him. “But my friends, they are good people, I assure you, and they will help you settle down.”

Then, the Admiral began to walk once again and Elnor tried to catch up with him. Elnor wondered how long they would be walking — it felt like forever already — but then the Admiral slowed his steps down before he came to a stop.

“Here they are”, he said, and Elnor turned his attention away from him to the Admiral’s ‘friends’.

It took Elnor three full seconds to realize that Admiral Picard’s friends were, in fact, Romulans — a man and a woman. The man had forehead ridge, but the woman did not. They were dressed like Humans, which was the reason why Elnor didn’t recognize them as Romulans at first.

“Elnor, this is Laris and Zhaban. They work at my vineyard, Château Picard”, Admiral Picard said. “Zhaban, Laris, meet Elnor.”

“Jolan Tru!” Elnor chirped, excited, as he opened his palms to them — with difficulty, because he still insisted to carry his book with him. He didn’t know the Admiral’s friends were Romulans! Already he felt more at ease at the prospect of staying at Admiral Picard’s home.

“Jolan Tru, ke’rhin”, Zhaban returned his greeting with a warm smile on his face.

“Hello, little one”, Laris replied, more stiffly than Zhaban. “It would be best if we use Terran language — or English, as the locals call it.”

“Why?” Elnor couldn’t understand. Weren’t they Romulans?

“The Humans have a saying. It said: when in Rome, do as the Romans do”, Laris said. “It means, when visiting, or living, in a foreign land, one must follow the customs of those who live in it.”

Elnor thought about what Laris had said, but still he couldn’t understand it. What did the Remans do with being on Earth? However, before he could express his confusion, Admiral Picard said goodbye to them and left just like that, leaving Elnor with Laris and Zhaban.

“Come now”, Zhaban said, offering his hand. “Let us go home.”

_Home_. 

Home was a house he would never see again back in Romulus, Elnor thought. 

Yet, he took Zhaban’s hand and allowed the adults to take him to the transporter pad.

— 

Once they arrived on Château Picard, Zhaban loudly announced that it was lunch time, before going away somewhere, presumably to the kitchen where food was made. Laris then showed the room where he would be staying, before leaving him to his own device.

All alone, Elnor took off his shoes, before climbing up the bed, still clutching his book in both hands. He cracked it open once again, the letters still stubbornly stayed Terran, but still he pretended that he could read it. Faintly, he could almost hear Admiral Picard’s voice talking, telling him the stories about D’Artagnan, before he fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was to the noise of his stomach rumbling. He hadn’t eaten since before the shuttle that took him to Earth landed, and he didn’t know how long ago that was. The sky was clear and blue outside, with white fluffy clouds hanging overhead. That didn’t give him anything about what time it was now.

Quietly, he slipped off from the bed and, still barefooted, padded out of his room. Strange smell wafted in the air, but it was nice enough that it made his stomach to rumble once again. He followed the smell, only to arrive at the kitchen.

He knew it was the kitchen because Zhaban was in it. The man was cutting something on the cutting board, something odd and red in color. Meanwhile, two pots, a large one and a small one, were sitting on the stove. It seemed the nice smell came from one of them.

Zhaban was kind enough to reply his greeting in Rihannsu, so for now, Elnor decided that he trusted him.

“What are you cooking?” Elnor asked as he approached Zhaban.

“I’m making chicken fricassee”, Zhaban answered with a small smile. He didn’t seem surprised with Elnor’s presence there. 

“What is… fricassee?” Elnor asked.

“Fricassee is a method of cooking meat. In this case, chicken meat”, Zhaban answered.

“What is chicken?” Elnor asked again, still confused.

“A chicken is like a _hlai_ , except it is small and feathered, instead of large and scaled”, Zhaban explained.

“So nothing like a _hlai_ , then”, Elnor said. Instead of replying, Zhaban let out a barking laugh.

“Nothing like a _hlai_ , indeed”, Zhaban said. “Don’t be worried. You’ll love it. The fricassee, I mean.”

“I think I will. I like the smell already”, Elnor said honestly. “How long until it’s done? I’m hungry.”

“You are quite chatty, aren’t you?” Zhaban asked with a chuckle. “It will be done in half an hour.”

“That’s too long!” Elnor cried out.

“Half an hour on Earth, little one, is only thirty minutes”, Zhaban explained. “While you wait, why don’t you help me with mashing the potatoes?”

“What is potatoes?” Elnor asked.

Zhaban then pointed out various Earth vegetables. The uneven one with brown skin and yellowish inside was called potato. The red one that Zhaban was cutting was called tomato. There were also onion, garlic, and broccoli.

Elnor’s job was to ‘mash’ the potatoes with a ‘whisk’ until they were soft and fluffy. Since he was too short to reach the kitchen table, Zhaban gave him a stool to stand on.

“I like mashing the potatoes”, Elnor said, grinning as the potatoes broke easily under the whisk he was holding. The smell was nice, and there was more than one occasion where he couldn’t resist sticking his finger into the mashed potatoes.

“I’ll keep that in mind the next time I’m making mashed potatoes”, Zhaban said, making Elnor giggle. They continued to work in similar manner, with Elnor providing commentaries while Zhaban cracking a joke.

It was nice.

True to Zhaban’s words, the food was done in thirty minutes, although it felt faster than that. Elnor helped Zhaban carrying the pot of mashed potatoes out of the kitchen, while Zhaban carried the pot of chicken fricassee. They put it on the dining table, where Laris was meticulously arranging plates, spoons, forks, and glasses.

Once everything was done, the three of them sat on the table. Elnor opened his palms and prayed, thanking the gods for the food and safety. Once he was done, he noticed that Laris and Zhaban were staring at him.

“Who taught you how to pray, child?” Laris asked, and there was something in her voice that Elnor couldn’t quite grasp.

“The nuns at the house of the Qowat Milat”, Elnor replied.

“You were raised by the Qowat Milat?” Laris sounded surprised.

“They took me in during the evacuation”, Elnor said with a small shrug, before scooping himself some mashed potatoes. Zhaban helped him when he couldn’t reach the other pot, though, the one that was filled with chicken fricassee.

“That’s… nice of them”, Laris said.

Laris and Zhaban didn’t say anything else while they ate, so Elnor kept quiet too, even though his head was swirling with questions.

  
 _Well_ , he thought. He could ask them later. After all, he was going to stay at Château Picard for awhile.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun had not yet risen when Elnor woke up. It was still dark outside, but the sky was just beginning to redden in the horizon.

Elnor wiped tears from his eyes before sliding down his bed and padded to the bathroom, where he began his morning routine. After changing his clothes with Human clothes, he walked out of the room in search for Zhaban.

Zhaban was nice, Elnor thought. He taught him how to read Terran as they waited for Admiral Picard to return home. Yet as the day turned into night, the Admiral never came. The dinner that followed was glum, and afterwards, Elnor went to bed disappointed.

It didn’t take long until Elnor found Zhaban at the front door, in the middle of wearing his shoes.

“Where are you going?” Elnor asked with fear gnawing at his chest. Would Zhaban leave him too?

“I’m going to the market to get groceries”, Zhaban answered. And then, much to Elnor surprise, he asked, “Do you want to come with me?”

Elnor nodded excitedly.

“Wear a jacket. I’ll wait here until you are ready”, Zhaban told him.

Elnor did as he was told, putting on his wrap-around jacket before tying it at the waist. Then, he put his shoes on, before running back to the front door.

“Let us go, then”, Zhaban said, offering his hand. Elnor took it and together, they walked out of the house.

Zhaban took out some kind of… contraption with two wheels, from a shed by the house. It had two seats and a wire mesh basket at the front. Elnor turned to Zhaban, confused but curious.

“What is it?” he asked.

“This”, Zhaban said. “Is called a bicycle, a rather ancient form of human transportation. I still use it because it’s a good exercise.”

“How does it work?” Elnor asked.

“Why don’t you hop on and I’ll show you how it works?” Zhaban asked back, as he got on to the bicycle himself. Elnor copied him and sat at the back, and found that it was rather unsteady. “Hold onto me”, Zhaban said, and Elnor did as he was told.

Then, Zhaban began to push the pedals, and the bicycle began to move — slowly at first, but it gained speed not long after. Elnor marveled at the simple — ancient, Zhaban said — contraption, and let out a small giggle.

Soon he was distracted by the scenery around him. Vast, sprawling land spread on his left and right. The sky was beginning to brighten above his head and the grey morning mist rolled close to the ground. The air was fresh and cold, and it smelled of something that Elnor couldn’t quite put his fingers on. When the bicycle hit a bump on the road, Elnor tightened his grip around Zhaban’s waist to steady himself.

The more they went, the more houses they saw, and soon they entered what Elnor presumed was a small town. It was nothing like he saw before, but it reminded him a bit of Vashti. Thinking about Vashti made him think about Zani and the nuns at the house of the Qowat Milat, and it made him a little bit sad — but he shook the thought away rather quickly when he finally saw the market.

It was the busiest part of the town, Elnor decided. There were people hauling fresh produces off of a shuttle. Stall upon stall lined the street, and the vendors were shouting out their wares. It was absolutely chaotic, and Elnor  _ loved _ it.

After awhile, Zhaban stopped the bike and got off, so Elnor did the same. Zhaban left the bike in its designated rack, before the two of them entered the market. That was when Zhaban took his hand.

“Whatever you do, don’t let go of my hand”, Zhaban told him. “If you find yourself lost, stay where you are, and I will come and find you.”

Elnor nodded and tightened his grip on Zhaban’s hand. He didn’t want to get lost.

They stopped at several vendors, where Zhaban bought Earth (and occasionally, non-Earth) produces. He introduced them all to Elnor, who was trying his best to remember everything. That was until they got to the eggs.

“They don’t look like eggs…” Elnor said as he examined the one in his hand. They were smaller and the shell was brown and smooth.

“That is because these eggs are chicken eggs”, Zhaban said, plucking the egg from Elnor’s hand and put it in a wicker basket lined with soft cloth. “Now help me carry this, will you? Careful, they break very easily.”

“I am beginning to see the similarity between a chicken and a  _ hlai _ ”, Elnor mused as he did as he was told. He carried the basket carefully, and together, they continued walking through the market. Occasionally, Zhaban would point at various vegetables and tell Elnor their names.

“What about those?” Elnor pointed at an odd spiky thing.

“Those are called dragonfruit, or pitaya in another Earth language”, Zhaban answered.

“Dragonfruit? Do they come from dragons?” Elnor asked excitedly. He didn’t know Earth had dragons!

“No, I’m pretty sure they called it that because it looks like one”, Zhaban answered.

“Oh…” Elnor said, disappointed.

His disappointment didn’t last long, however, when he saw a smallish furred creature sleeping on the top of a stack of crates.

“What about that one?” Elnor asked Zhaban.

“That”, Zhaban answered. “Is a cat. Humans don’t eat that.”

“A cat?!” Elnor turned to Zhaban excitedly. “The Admiral told me about his friend, Commander Data. He had a cat named Spot!”

“You may pet it if you like”, Zhaban said, and Elnor’s eyes widened. Immediately, he made a move to grab the cat. “Ah- ah! Carefully, now. They are easily startled.”

As gently as possible, Elnor ran his hand between the creature’s triangle ears, and the cat, its eyes still closed, simply lifted its head as if asking for more. Elnor eyed Zhaban, who gave him a nod, before scratching the cat’s head, giggling.

“Can we keep it?” Elnor asked Zhaban, pleading.

“Hmmmm, I don’t think so”, Zhaban replied with a hum. “See that thing around its neck? It’s a collar. It means, it belongs to someone.”

“This lazy old lady is pregnant, actually”, a Human woman approached them. She patted the cat’s stomach gently. Only now Elnor noticed the swelling there. “I can give you one of her kittens in a couple of months, if you want.”

“Ah, I don’t think this little one will be around in a couple of months”, Zhaban told the woman, and Elnor drooped again, disappointed. They said goodbye to the lady and her lady cat before continued walking.

“Do you think the Admiral will allow me get a cat before I get adopted?” Elnor asked, still pouting.

“That you need to ask to the Admiral himself, I’m afraid”, Zhaban answered.

“He didn’t come home last night”, Elnor said.

“The Admiral is a very busy man”, Zhaban returned. “He has a lot of things to take care. Once he’s done, he will return home.”

Elnor hummed, quiet, and he resisted the urge to fidget.

“How about this? Once we get back, I can teach you how to make pancakes”, Zhaban said.

“What’s a pancake?” Elnor asked, curious.

“Oh, you’ll love it, I’m sure”, was all Zhaban’s answer.

— 

True to his words, Zhaban taught Elnor how to make pancakes. It was pretty easy, and Elnor found that he enjoyed it so much even though the first few batches he made were ugly and misshapen, unlike Zhaban’s perfectly round ones. Even better, they tasted great when he added blueberry jam on them.

“Next time, I’ll teach you how to make them into various shapes”, Zhaban said.

“You can make them into various shapes?” Elnor gasped in disbelief. “Even a warbird?”

“Sure, a warbird won’t be too difficult”, Zhaban replied, scratching his chin. “And then, I can teach you how to make homemade bread.”

“I love bread! The nuns at the house of the Qowat Milat used to make bread with meat in it”, Elnor said, swinging his legs back and forth, before shoving a forkful of pancake into his mouth. “Can you teach me how to make bread with meat in it?”

“Slow down, little one. The food is not going anywhere”, Zhaban chided, before using a napkin to wipe Elnor’s cheek. “There you go. And yes, I can teach you, if you want.”

“Thank you!” Elnor chirped, grinning.

That was when Laris suddenly burst into the room. She was breathing heavily, as if she was just running.

“One hour”, she growled, her finger pointing menacingly at Zhaban. “I’ve been looking for Elnor for  _ one hour! _ I thought someone had broken into the house— No note, no word, nothing to indicate that you had taken him somewhere!”

“Oh”, Zhaban hummed, looking guilty. “Oops?”

“Good morning, Laris!” Elnor greeted. 

“Good morning to you too, Elnor”, she said sweetly at him, before turning back to Zhaban again, furious. “Was it so difficult to leave a note? Hmm? I’ve been looking for him everywhere! Everywhere! And I thought— Well, the Admiral is most definitely going to have my head now—”

“He’s not—” Zhaban interrupted her, but she interrupted him back.

“Do not— I am not quite finished”, she growled.

“I made pancake!” Elnor told her, trying to distract her. He didn’t want her to get mad at Zhaban. After all, it was not Zhaban’s fault that Elnor decided to go with him. “Zhaban taught me!”

“Pancake, hmm?” Laris asked, before approaching him. Zhaban still eyed her like she was going to explode, but it seemed that she had calmed down. For now. “No chocolate in this?”

“Of course not. I’m not a complete fool”, Zhaban said, offended.

“What is chocolate?” Elnor perked up, curious.

“Chocolate is a  _ highly  _ dangerous substance to us Vulcanoids”, Laris explained. “However, it is common in Human food. So you need to be careful when eating Human food. Make sure there’s no chocolate in it.”

Elnor gulped, suddenly feeling scared. “Okay.”

“Stop scaring the child”, Zhaban chided. “Look at him, he is scared.”

“I am not feeling scared”, Elnor argued, pouting.

“Ah, I thought the Qowat Milat taught you not to tell lie?” Laris asked with a smile.

Elnor bit his lips. “Maybe a little scared…” he said meekly. “Why do Humans put poison in their food?”

Laris snorted. “You’d be surprised with the amount of poison that Human’s body is capable to ingest”, she said. “Chocolate is not harmful for them, actually, and they enjoy the taste of it. Even children eat them as treats.”

“Humans are weird”, Elnor said.

“Ah, that is not a good thing to say”, Laris chided. “They are different from us. That doesn’t make them weird. Do you understand?”

Elnor nodded.

  
“Good”, Laris said. “Now, let us eat, shall we? I am quite  _ famished _ .”


	3. Chapter 3

A week went by. The Admiral still hadn’t gone home yet, and Elnor was beginning to get _restless_. 

He wasn’t _stupid_. He knew that Laris and Zhaban tried their best to distract him, and they were good at it. However, they had their own job, managing the workers on the vineyard and taking care of the house, and they couldn’t keep an eye on Elnor all the time. There were long hours when Elnor was left alone — the only thing keeping him company was his book and a gnawing fear that grew by days.

Elnor was rather good at reading Terran now, even though there were words he did not understand. He would ask them at Laris or Zhaban, but they did not do it with flourish the way the Admiral did. They did not play fencing with him, or use the voice on the occasion they read to him.

He missed the Admiral, but that was not the only thing that he missed. He missed Zani and the nuns at the house of the Qowat Milat. He missed Vashti, too. And above all, he missed Romulus.

Elnor woke up and wiped tears away from his eyes. The sky was grey outside, and dark clouds rolled over the land. Rain was falling softly, but Elnor knew that would change into a heavy rain soon.

He padded to the window and pretended that he was back in the orphanage at Romulus. He shut his eyes, and he could _almost_ hear the other children and the caretakers speaking Rihannsu about mundane things, about the game they played, about school. It felt almost real, that for a moment it felt like he was back in Romulus.

Of course, that didn’t last long. He could hear Laris and Zhaban puttering outside, speaking Terran — _English_ , Laris would correct him — and the illusion shattered into thousand little pieces.

He did not understand Laris and Zhaban. They were Romulans, weren’t they? He could understand if they were speaking English to Humans, but why didn’t they speak Rihannsu among themselves? It was as if they had forgotten who they were, living on Earth.

Would that happen to him too? Would he forget his root, living on Earth? He hoped not. He liked being Romulan.

After doing his morning routine and changed into fresh clothes, Elnor got out of the room. Immediately, he found Laris. She was puttering on the living room, putting flowers into vases.

“ _Brhon mnekha!_ ” Elnor chirped at her.

Laris blinked, before she returned the greeting. “Good morning to you too, Elnor”, she said, in _English_. “What did I tell you about speaking Rihannsu?”

“I do not understand”, Elnor said. “Why are you so against speaking Rihannsu? It is our language.”

“Because we live on Earth”, Laris answered. “And you must know, Elnor, since you will be living here for some time, that Humans are not overly fond of us.”

“I do not understand”, Elnor said again. “Why are the Humans not fond of us?”

Laris let out a sigh, before she sat down on the couch. Then, she patted the spot next to her. Elnor obeyed, climbing onto the couch and sitting by her side.

“The history goes much, much longer. The Humans and the Romulans have been… at each other’s throat since the twenty-second century”, Laris answered. “We, the Romulans, have been… not the friendliest to most species in the Beta Quadrant. Not surprising, since xenophobia is rampant in our society.”

“What is… xenophobia?” Elnor asked.

“It is the fear or hatred of that which is perceived to be foreign”, Laris answered. “Such as foreign species, foreign culture, and foreign language.”

“Before the evacuation, back in— back in Romulus, the school taught us that we are the children of Vhorani, and that it is our destiny to rule the galaxy”, Elnor said. “Is that why we hate other species?”

“That is _exactly_ why we hate other species”, Laris said, agreeing. “And what do _you_ think of that?”

“I think it’s dumb”, Elnor said with a shrug. “The nuns at the house of the Qowat Milat said all species are created equal. That the gods made us different so that we may know one another, even if they are weird or, or speak different language. I think I prefer it that way. Don’t you think it’s better that way, Laris?”

“Yes. Yes, it is quite better that way”, Laris answered.

Elnor beamed at her answer.

“Well, I think it is time for breakfast. Why don’t we check on Zhaban, hmm?” Laris asked with a smile.

“Okay!” Elnor chirped excitedly before the two of them headed to the kitchen, where Zhaban was already there, preparing for breakfast. Between the three of them — Elnor helped too, of course — the breakfast was done in no time.

“I just had a thought”, Elnor said, between bites of his croissants. “That means the Humans are not fond of us because we are not fond of them first, so it is best that we don’t speak Rihannsu when they are around us.”

“That is correct”, Laris said.

“Still, that doesn’t answer why we can’t speak Rihannsu among ourselves”, Elnor resumed.

“Did you give the kid Human-Romulan history lesson this early in the morning?” Zhaban asked Laris, his voice full of exasperation.

“Oh hush you. He started it”, Laris rolled her eyes at him, before turning to face Elnor. “Elnor, Zhaban and I have been staying on Earth for close to a year. During that time, we have done our best to blend in with the Humans so we won’t aggravate them. However, it came with a cost.”

“Did you forget how to speak Rihannsu?” Elnor asked.

“Of course not, we would _never_ ”, Laris said. “But speaking English… it became a habit.”

“Oh.” Elnor didn’t know what to say about that.

“If it will make you happy, we can, of course, speak Rihannsu — but only among ourselves. _Ssuaj-difv?_ ” Laris asked, tilting her head slightly.

“ _Ssuaj-ha_ ”, Elnor answered, a smile spreading on his lips.

After that, Laris and Zhaban switched to Rihannsu, which delighted Elnor to no end. As they ate breakfast, the two of them told him stories about their time on Earth and about the people they met.

For the first time since he left Vashti, Elnor felt more like at home. 

—

True to his promise, Zhaban taught Elnor how to make bread stuffed with meat in it. stuffed with meat in it. It was different than the one the nuns at the house of the Qowat Milat made, not that Elnor could explain it to Zhaban when the older man asked.

The two of them sat on the kitchen table, two cups of hot _tarka_ sitting by the bread. The rain was falling gently outside, so it was a little bit chilly. But the warmth of the kitchen, the hot _tarka_ , and the fresh smell of bread was enough to warm Elnor up. 

“Hmm”, Zhaban hummed, rubbing his chin contemplatively. “It could be something that is culturally specific to the Qowat Milat.”

“What does ‘culturally specific’ mean?” Elnor asked.

“It means it belongs to a certain culture”, Zhaban answered. “In this case, the bread may be something that is passed down within the Qowat Milat nuns for generations.”

“Oh”, Elnor said. “And since I’m not Qowat Milat, I can’t eat it?”

“I’m not certain”, Zhaban answered. “Some culture allow cultural exchange, which means people from outside the culture can also enjoy things like food or clothes. But the Qowat Milat has been rather… protective of their secrets and culture.”

“Why?” Elnor asked.

“I don’t know, honestly. I’m not Qowat Milat”, Zhaban answered with a chuckle.

“I learned a lot from you and Laris”, Elnor said, before taking another bite of his bread, his legs swaying back and forth.

Zhaban blinked in surprise. “… You’re welcome?”

Once they were done eating, Elnor trotted back into his room to get his book. He intended to read in one of the crannies in the living room, which overlooked the vineyard — that was when he heard Laris and Zhaban talking.

“— can’t we adopt him ourselves?” Elnor could hear Zhaban ask.

“Have you lost your mind?!” Laris asked in return.

“I’m going to assume that question is rhetorical”, Zhaban retorted. “Laris, you’ve heard what the Admiral said about him. We fit every requirements he set for Elnor’s adoptive parents.”

Elnor felt his heart flip in his stomach.

“Must I remind you of who we are? Who we _were?_ ” Laris asked.

“Yes, I know. But we’re doing well, considering”, Zhaban said. “No assassins sent to kill us.”

What did assassins mean? Elnor thought to himself. And why would they want to kill Zhaban and Laris?

“That does not mean they will not come after us in the future”, Laris hissed in return. “Zhaban, we cannot put that child in any more danger. He has gone through enough!”

“What if we teach him everything we know?” Zhaban asked.

“So we can shape him up into a killing machine?” Laris asked back.

“So he can _protect_ himself”, Zhaban corrected her as he gathered her hands in his own. “You know the Admiral as much as I do. We can convince him, if you would support me.”

Laris was quiet for a long moment — a long moment which Elnor had forgotten how to breathe.

Zhaban wanted to adopt him. Elnor didn’t know what to think of that. There was… happiness, that he would be with someone he liked. He liked Zhaban, and he could tell that Zhaban cared a whole lot about him. But there was also uncertainty. 

Would that mean he would stay on Earth? He found that he didn’t mind that. Earth wasn’t so bad, as long as he was with Laris and Zhaban — and Admiral Picard too. 

Elnor didn’t hear the rest of the conversation — he couldn’t, he decided. He didn’t want to hear Laris’ refusal to adopt him. So, as quietly as he could, he went back into his room and stayed there until Zhaban called for dinner.


	4. Chapter 4

If he wanted to be honest, Elnor was rather excited at the prospect of Laris and Zhaban adopting him. That meant Elnor could stay with them  _ and _ Admiral Picard… and that was good, right? They could be a family, and Elnor didn’t have to root out his life once again just to move somewhere else. 

After all, he had grown rather fond of Laris and Zhaban — and Earth too, actually. 

He found that he loved the rain that fell over the vineyard, the smell so fresh when he opened the window to let the air in, and he loved the kitchen where he and Zhaban would usually spend their mornings. He loved the small town and how quiet it was, and he loved market and the chaotic energy it gave off. There was something unique quality to them that was uniquely Earth, that Elnor was sure couldn’t be found anywhere else in the galaxy — just like he wouldn’t be able to find something that was uniquely Romulus on Earth.

Of course there was still a problem with convincing the Admiral, but Elnor was certain that the Admiral was actually fond of him. Surely he would be fine with letting Laris and Zhaban adopt him… right?

_ Right? _

With a muffled groan, Elnor climbed down the bed. He did his morning routine as usual and changed his clothes with a fresh one. Once done, he padded out of his room, only to find Zhaban at the front door, getting ready to go to the market.

“Can I go with you?” Elnor asked excitedly.

“Sure”, Zhaban answered with a kind smile. “Go tell Laris where we’re going. Don’t want her to raise another fuss. Oh, and wear a jacket.”

Elnor did as he was told.

—

The market was not as crowded as usual, but that was probably because it was lightly raining when Elnor and Zhaba arrived there. Elnor put on the hood of his jacket and walked as closely as possible against Zhaban’s side for warmth.

Zhaban bought some bell peppers, zucchini, eggplants, and tomatoes, and told Elnor that he was planning to make vegetable stew. When he saw how the older man was having slight difficulties with carrying everything he bought, Elnor helped with carrying some of it. Together, the two of them headed out of the market, only to find that the rain had fallen in full.

“Well… this is annoying”, Zhaban said with a sigh.

Elnor didn’t understand. “Why can’t we just bike home?” he asked.

“In the rain?” Zhaban asked, and Elnor nodded excitedly. “We’ll get wet.”

“It’s just water”, Elnor said with a shrug.

“You make a very compelling argument, young man”, Zhaban returned. “But no. We will not bike in the rain, or else we will get sick.”

Elnor drooped and pouted, but he stayed by Zhaban’s side still, hugging a bag of bell peppers close to his chest as he watched the rain pouring down.

“You know what’ll cheer you up?” Zhaban asked suddenly. Elnor shook his head. “I think I saw a cafe inside the market. Why don’t we warm ourselves up with a cup of something?”

Elnor beamed up at that.

The cafe was a small one and it was rather empty, only a few patrons in it. A few Humans were playing tri-dimensional chess in one corner, and when Zhaban and Elnor entered the building, they eyed them warily. Zhaban pulled Elnor’s hand away from them and towards the replicator.

After replicating a cup of coffee for Zhaban and a glass of milk for Elnor, they put their grocery on the table and sat down. Elnor sipped his milk; it was sweet and thick, with slightly-savory skim on top. It warmed his body up instantly — warmth settling in his stomach like a tiny sun. It was nice.

But even Elnor could feel the tension in the room. The Humans still glanced at them every now and then, and Zhaban, in return, pointedly ignored them. Elnor tried so hard to ignore them too, focusing on scooping the skim off his milk, but he couldn’t help but remember what Laris had told him.

The Humans were not overly fond of them.

“I can’t stand seeing this any longer”, one of the Humans said as he stood up. He approached Zhaban and Elnor, swagger in his steps, before stopping to loom over them. “You green-blooded, pointy-eared bastards coming to our planet, even though you know you’re not welcome—”

“Good sir, can we not do this in front of a child?” Zhaban asked with a sigh, but the Human man simply laughed and placed a condescending hand on the top of Elnor’s head.

“Oh, actually, I think your brat needs to know what an useless garbage your lot is”, the man said, patting Elnor’s head, and Elnor decided he had enough.

He grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted it. The Human man shouted out both in pain and surprise. Then, Elnor stood from his chair and kicked the man in the groin, causing the man to double over in pain.

_ Huh _ , Elnor thought. Good to know that Humans had their parts on the same place as Romulans.

Elnor swept his gaze around the room, where Zhaban and the rest of the Humans stared at him, wide-eyed. One of the Humans even openly gaped at him.

“What? He was being a creep!” Elnor threw his hands up.

“Damn right he did”, Zhaban said as he stood up and gathered their groceries, before grabbing Elnor’s hand and pulled him out of the cafe.

“Why are we running? We didn’t do anything wrong!” Elnor protested once they were out of the cafe. The rain had stopped and Zhaban took him to where they parked the bike.

“Because”, Zhaban returned. “Sometimes kicking people in the groin is  _ not  _ the solution, even though they damn deserve it.”

Elnor pouted. He didn’t understand — he was just defending himself! That Human man called the Romulans ‘useless garbage’ and even touched him without permission. If Elnor was a fully trained  _ qalankhkai _ , the man would’ve lost his hand  _ and  _ head already.

“That was a good kick, though”, Zhaban said. “Did the Qowat Milat taught you that?”

“A kick in the groin ought to bring any man down to his knees”, Elnor recited, beaming with pride. “That’s what Zani said.”

“Damn warrior nuns”, Zhaban returned with a chuckle.

Laris, of course, raised a fuss as soon as she heard about what happened. She checked Elnor for signs of injury and smiled in satisfaction when she could find none.

“I know that you mean well, Elnor”, Laris began. “And I fully support you for defending your boundaries. But you need to be cautious and be wise. See if the man you hit is capable of hitting you back or not.”

“Disable him first, before he can disable you”, Elnor recited. “That’s what Zani said too.”

“Well, it’s good that you have some training”, Laris praised. “But there are other ways of hitting without using your punch.”

“I do not understand”, Elnor said.

“The Humans, they think we Romulans are angry and violent”, Laris returned. “If you strike them first, their prejudice will be justified, and they will use it as a reason to hurt you more.”

“So you said, I should not defend myself…?” Elnor asked.

“There are other ways of hitting without using your punch”, Laris repeated, a dangerous smile spreading on her lips. “Perhaps it will be useful if I teach you some of them.”

— 

Exactly on the tenth day, the Admiral came home.

It was a good day outside; the Earth’s sun was shining and white clouds were rolling on the bright blue sky, and Elnor was playing at the canal by the house. He had been trying to catch an odd amphibian creature living in it all morning, with little to no success.

He was about to pounce to attack, when he saw the shuttle landing and the Admiral stepping out of it. Abandoning his quest, Elnor quickly ran towards the house, excited that the Admiral was finally home.

He was about to enter the house when he heard Laris, Zhaban, and the Admiral discussing — rather loudly — about  _ him _ .

“That’s  _ bullshit! _ ” Laris hissed. “We can’t just— just hand him over to any willing Romulan parents! What if they turn out to be Tal Shiar?”

“That’s why we  _ need  _ to screen them”, the Admiral said. “I understand your concern, but Elnor  _ needs _ adoptive parents, ones who will love and cherish him as if he is their own son.”

“And we don’t qualify for that?” Zhaban asked.

Elnor waited in anticipation to hear what the Admiral had to say about it, his heart racing in his stomach.

“Elnor **_cannot_** live here”, Admiral Picard said. There was a finality in his voice that made Elnor’s heart felt heavy in his stomach, and he suddenly remembered what Zani said about the Admiral not being fond of children.

The Admiral did not want him there.

“He needs to live in a Romulan community, one that will teach him about his own culture and people”, the Admiral continued. “He cannot live on Earth, with prejudice against the Romulans still being so strong here.”

“Then why did you take him from Vashti?” Zhaban asked. “And don’t tell us it was because he doesn’t belong with the Qowat Milat — you know they would’ve found him a home somewhere, somewhere even better than anything you can come up with.”

The Admiral opened his mouth, before shutting it again. 

“You care about him”, Zhaban pointed out, his eyes narrowing. “You wanted to adopt him yourself, but the recent events have made you realize that you’re way in over your head.”

“Is that true?” Elnor couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He entered the house and approached the adults slowly, as if he was afraid of them — and perhaps he  _ was _ . “Admiral, is that true?”

“Elnor, I—” the Admiral said as he took a step forward, towards Elnor.

Elnor took a step back.

“You took me away from my home”, he said before he could stop himself.

Then, as if his body was moving on its own, he turned away and ran out of the house.


	5. Chapter 5

Of course, the rain started to pour down as soon as Elnor reached the town. He was tired from running, and he was not wearing his jacket. Shivering in the chilly air, Elnor huddled in front of a house and hugged himself for warmth.

He didn’t know where else to go. If he was on Vashti, he would surely ran towards the house of the Qowat Milat. But he was not on Vashti anymore — he was on Earth, lightyears away from Vashti, where everything was unfamiliar and strange. 

Elnor let out a quiet sob. He didn’t want to cry, but his chest felt full it felt like it was going to burst. He missed Vashti. He missed the Qowat Milat, and he missed Zani and the other nuns. He missed running on the street and exploring the outcropping rocks beyond the town. He missed his training too. He had thought he would become a  _ qalankhkai _ , even if he was a boy. But then of course the Admiral had to take him away from his home.

And now the Admiral was going to send him away.

He knew since the Admiral took him from Vashti, that living on Earth would be temporary. But as time went by and he got to know Zhaban and Laris, he had thought he could make a home here. It was a nice thought, and Elnor let himself be lulled by it.

And now reality was hitting him hard.

“Why are you crying?” a voice came from his left made Elnor jump slightly in surprise.

He wiped his eyes before turning. He found a little Human girl, probably around his age, with dark skin and poofy hair.

“I’m crying because I’m sad”, Elnor answered.

“Why are you sad? Are you lost?” the girl asked.

Was he lost? Elnor thought to himself. He knew his way to the Admiral’s house, but he didn’t think he wanted to return there. He wanted to return to Vashti, or maybe even Romulus. But he didn’t think he knew how to get there, even if he wanted to.

“Maybe a little”, Elnor replied.

“Yasmeen, who is that?” a rough voice called from inside the store.

“A kid, Baba! I think he’s lost”, the girl, Yasmeen, replied.

A tall, bulky man stepped out of the house, and Elnor immediately recognized him as the butcher from the market. He had a stall in the market and Zhaban went to him to buy chicken meat.

“Oh, you’re the kid who came with Zhaban!” the man, Yasmeen’s dad, said. “Are you lost? I know the way back to Château Picard, I can take you there.”

“N-no”, Elnor shook his head slightly. “I think I’ll stay here for a bit. If— if that’s okay.”

Something crossed on the man’s face, but then he softened. “Well, come on in then. It’s cold outside. Do you want hot chocolate to warm yourself up?” he asked

Elnor remembered what Laris said about chocolate and its effect to Vulcanoids, and felt a stab in his chest. Laris and Zhaban  _ wanted _ to adopt him, but Admiral Picard said no to them.

“Kid?” the man asked again, pulling Elnor out of his thoughts.

“N-no chocolate, please”, Elnor quickly said. “Laris said chocolate is highly dangerous to us— to Romulans, I mean.”

“Huh, I didn’t know that”, the butcher hummed. “Is milk okay for you?”

“Milk is fine”, Elnor replied.

Yasmeen guided Elnor to a table by the window. Potted plants sat on the windowsill — the pots were colorful and the plants were vibrant green. They were beautiful, and it made Elnor slightly wonder why there was no potted plants at Château Picard, only freshly cut flowers that Laris changed every other day.

“They’re my mom’s”, Yasmeen said, rolling her eyes. “You’ll never see a Klingon more obsessed with plants than her.”

“Your mother is…” Elnor paused, hesitating.

“A Klingon? Yeah”, Yasmeen said with a chuckle. “I’m half, you see. I mean, obviously you can’t see, but I have three lungs and two livers.”

“Oh.” Elnor didn’t know what to say.

Yasmeen’s dad came bringing two tall-glasses of milk and a plate full of little round things. After thanking him, Elnor took one glass for himself and eyed the round things with interest. 

“Have you ever tried cookies before?” Yasmeen asked.

Elnor shook his head. “What is it?” he asked back.

“These are cookies”, Yasmeen replied, picking one of the round things. “You dip it in milk like this, and then you eat it.”

Elnor took one of the cookies and copied Yasmeen, dipping it into the milk and bit into it. It tasted sweet, and he found that he liked it very much.

“Those are coconut cookies”, Yasmeen’s dad said. “Figured that chocolate chip cookies would be dangerous to you, and well… they’re the first thing that came to mind.”

“It’s very good”, Elnor told the man.

“They’re replicated. Nothing fancy”, Yasmeen’s dad returned with a small shrug, before leaving him with Yasmeen alone.

Elnor ate the cookies and drank his milk as he thought about what he should do now. He was thinking about going back to Vashti, but it wasn’t like he could travel to a different planet by himself. He would need a ship, first of all, and he didn’t know where he would get one.

Thinking about Vashti made him think about the nuns of the house of the Qowat Milat. He missed Zani so bad, and while the nun made little attempt to integrate him into the Qowat Milat, she still took care of him. She taught him how to be strong, how to fight, and how to survive.

None of them taught him how to return to her, though.

“You are still sad”, Yasmeen said. She was staring at him with interest, but Elnor found that he didn’t mind being stared at. She had been showing nothing but kindness to him.

“I want to go home”, Elnor returned.

“Then go home. Baba said he knows where it is. Why don’t you come with him?” Yasmeen asked.

“That’s not my home”, Elnor said sharply.

“Then where is your home?” Yasmeen asked.

Where  _ was _ his home? His home was back on the orphanage on Romulus, but he couldn’t go there — people said Romulus would be destroyed in a year or two, though Elnor found it hard to believe. How could an entire planet be destroyed like that? Why didn’t people do something to stop it?

For a bit, home was a house on Vashti, surrounded by the nuns of the Qowat Milat, but he knew that he didn’t belong there. He was a boy, and the Qowat Milat didn’t accept boys into their fold. He’d always thought that Zani would make an exception for him regardless, but then again she was content with handing him away to the Admiral.

And now, home was Château Picard. Again, he didn’t belong there.

He didn’t belong anywhere.

Where was home, really? Did he even have one?

“I don’t know”, Elnor answered eventually. “Maybe I don’t have a home.”

Yasmeen pursed her lips. “That sucks”, she said. “Everyone should have a home.”

“Well… not me”, Elnor returned glumly.

Silence fell between them and Elnor could feel the tension in the air. He was about to make a comment about it, when Yasmeen spoke up.

“Anyway, I didn’t get your name before”, she said.

“It’s Elnor”, Elnor returned.

“Elnor. Huh”, Yasmeen mused. “Your name is so pretty.”

“Thank you”, Elnor said, feeling his face heating up. “I think your name is pretty too.”

“Thank you”, Yasmeen beamed. “Anyway, you can stay here for a bit. It looks like it’s going to rain all day.”

“It’s been raining a lot lately”, Elnor said.

“It’s almost summer. The rain will let up soon”, Yasmeen returned with a small shrug. “Come with me, I’ll show you the reading room.”

“You have a reading room?” Elnor asked.

“Oh yes!” she answered excitedly. “I mean, it’s only a room with couches and PADDs, and you can read all day if you want to. It’s not much, but it’s the best room in the house. I’ll show you!”

Just as Yasmeen described, the reading room had three couches covered in soft looking blankets and pillows, with a window overlooking the garden full of plants that Elnor had never seen before. Yasmeen handed Elnor a PADD before she took a seat by the window, and Elnor followed her, taking a seat across to her.

Elnor turned on the PADD and was immediately greeted with English letters. He was better at reading English now, so he picked a title that looked interesting to him and began to read.

The story he read was about a mischievous little boy who could fly, named Peter Pan. It was different than The Three Musketeers story, but he found that it was just as interesting. The concept of never growing up was intriguing, and for a bit, Elnor imagined himself living on the Neverland, fighting pirates and other dangerous creatures.

Elnor didn’t know how long time had passed. But when he finished reading the last line of the book, the rain had stopped — and it seemed that it had stopped for quite some time. The garden looked so vibrant with fresh rainwater dotting the leaves like tiny little diamonds glittering under the sun.

When Elnor turned, he saw Yasmeen’s dad standing on the doorway, his arms crossing over his chest. There was something in his face that Elnor didn’t quite understand, but there was also softness there.

“Someone’s coming to get you, kiddo”, the man said, and as if on cue, Zhaban appeared from behind the man. 

“Let’s go home, Elnor”, Zhaban told him. He looked so tired, the lines on his face even more prominent than usual. He also looked sad.

“That is not my home”, Elnor returned shakily.

Zhaban let out a sigh, before answering, “I know.”

“Please don’t make me leave, Zhaban. I don’t— I don’t want to leave”, Elnor said, feeling his chest so full it was going to burst once again.

“I know”, Zhaban said again, before offering his hand. “Come, Elnor.”

Elnor hesitated for a bit, but then he put down the PADD he was holding and slid down the couch, before padding over to Zhaban’s direction. He took Zhaban’s hand and seriously considered to never let it go.

“Thank you for taking him in, Yusuf”, Zhaban told Yasmeen’s dad.

“Anytime, Zhaban”, Yasmeen’s dad said.

The ride back to Château Picard was silent, and Elnor held tight to Zhaban’s waist.

He wasn’t looking forward to see the Admiral.


	6. Chapter 6

“What were you thinking?!” the Admiral said angrily. He wasn’t shouting, no, but it was a close thing. “Running away like that — what if we can’t find you? Or worse, what if bad people finds you?”

“I can protect myself!” Elnor shouted back, his fists balled. The Admiral looked taken aback by Elnor’s outburst, but he quickly composed himself. 

“Protecting yourself, like you did on the cafe? Assaulting a man for verbally harassing you? What if they have a weapon?” the Admiral asked. “Elnor, you cannot go around hitting people just because you think they deserve it!”

“Well, what am I supposed to do, then? Not doing anything while people insult me to my face?!” Elnor retorted.

“There are ways to handle racial harassment other than throwing your punches”, the Admiral said. “But that is not what I’m trying to tell you now. What I’m trying to tell you is that you can’t run out of the house when the situation is upsetting you!”

“You can’t tell me what to do!” Elnor shouted. “You’re not my parents!”

The Admiral was quiet for a moment and he looked deeply hurt.  _ Good _ , Elnor thought. He wanted the Admiral to feel a fraction of pain that he was feeling.

“I know that”, the Admiral returned. “But I am legally your foster parent—”

“You took me away from my home!” Elnor shouted, interrupting the old man. “You took me away from Vashti! From Zani and the other nuns!”

“You do not belong with them, Elnor!” the Admiral retorted, again not quite shouting, but still his words pierced deep into Elnor’s chest. 

It hurt, and Elnor wanted to cry — he wanted to cry so bad, but he was not done with being angry.

“You do not belong with the Qowat Milat, so I took you in”, the Admiral continued. “I thought— I  _ had _ thought that I might be able to adopt you myself, but I was wrong. I was  _ so _ wrong.”

“Well, what was wrong? Tell me!” Elnor demanded.

“I was wrong in my assumption that us, Humans, are capable of empathy and sympathy towards you, towards the Romulans”, the Admiral said. “And I cannot, in my good conscience, to let you live in this toxic situation.”

“I think you’re wrong!” Elnor cried out. “Just now I had a Human man and his daughter taking me in despite knowing  _ what _ I was. They had been nothing but kind to me. I think you’re just paranoid. I think you just don’t want me here.”

“Just because a few Humans had showed you compassion, does not mean that others will do the same”, the Admiral said.

“Well, just because a few Humans are being mean to me, doesn’t mean that others will do the same too!” Elnor returned.

The Admiral opened his mouth as if he was trying to say something, but closed it back. Silence hung uncomfortably in the Admiral’s living room, but Elnor didn’t care about it. He was still glaring at the Admiral, his own anger still seething inside his chest.

“The Great Admiral Picard, being shut down by a ten year old Romulan who hasn’t even finished his primary education”, Laris said in amusement, and Elnor had forgotten that she and Zhaban were there.

Admiral Picard shot Laris a weak glare, but otherwise said nothing.

“What’s wrong, Admiral?” Zhaban asked. “That defeatist saying is not like you.”

“I just—” the Admiral paused, rubbing his face with his hand and sighing. “I saw with my own eyes, how Starfleet gave into intolerance and fear. I worry that the rest of the humanity will fall into the same prejudice.”

The Admiral sank into the couch, and for the first time in his life, Elnor saw how old he was. The Admiral was old, Elnor knew that, but right now he looked even older.

“Well”, Laris piped up. “It’s like Elnor said. Just because a few Humans are… unkind to us Romulans, doesn’t mean that others will fall into the same prejudice.”

The Admiral shook his head. “It’s not a perfect arrangement for him, for  _ you _ . I— I worry for you, my boy”, he said, staring at Elnor.

Elnor fidgeted under his stare, but he wouldn’t allow it to affect him. He was still angry at the Admiral, and he would still be angry at him for a long, long time. 

“Well, like I said, I can protect myself”, Elnor said defiantly. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I know you can, but I will still worry about you, my boy”, the Admiral chuckled, then he was quiet for a moment, before saying, “One year. I’ll give you one year to live on Earth, then we’ll see how you’re adjusting.”

Elnor stared at the Admiral — he couldn’t believe his ears. He turned to Laris and Zhaban, wondering if they heard it too, and they gave him a wide smile and a nod.

“What will happen if I cannot adjust?” Elnor asked, eyeing the Admiral warily.

“Then I will find you another family to care for you”, the Admiral answered.

Elnor considered this. One year was a long time, he thought. Surely he would be able to do it? He stared at the Admiral dead in the eye and gave him a nod. 

“I agree to this term”, he said.

Maybe this could be his home, after all.

—

Days turned into weeks, and Elnor was already adjusting to life on Earth.

Laris enrolled him into a local school where he went along with Yasmeen and the other kids from the town that he’d never met before. The kids in his grade was surprisingly diverse — while most of them were Humans, there was a number of Non-Humans among them. There was Staak and T’Lara, who were both Vulcans, Vhon the Andorian, Jerok the Klingon, and of course, Yasmeen. On the first day at school, during recess, Yasmeen took Elnor’s hand and introduced him to her friends. They were surprisingly friendly, Elnor decided.

Going back to school and continuing his education was rather challenging and it was not easy, but Elnor was determined — and he found that when he was determined to make things happen, things would be easier. He did his schoolwork, played with his friends, and helped Laris and Zhaban whenever he could. It was not easy, true, but, he had support from Laris and Zhaban, and, much to his surprise, Admiral Picard.

The Admiral had became distant and perhaps kind of standoffish. Whenever Elnor saw him, his face was gloomy and perhaps a little bit troubled. Zhaban told Elnor that the Admiral was having a problem, but no one told him what kind of problem it was. The Admiral would lock himself up in his study for hours, refusing to meet anyone. Even Elnor knew that couldn’t be good for him.

After three weeks living on Château Picard, Elnor decided he had enough. He went and asked Zhaban about it.

“Did Admiral Picard hate me?”

Zhaban stiffened and looked up from the cutting board where he was cutting bell peppers, looking at Elnor with gentle eyes and warm smile.

“The Admiral doesn’t hate you”, Zhaban answered.

“But he always hides himself in his study when I’m around”, Elnor returned glumly as he went back to peeling the potatoes. “And you said he has a problem, but no one says what his problem is. Is it me? Does he have a problem with me?”

“Of course not, Elnor”, Zhaban said as he approached Elnor. Elnor paused his work and looked up as Zhaban kneeled before him. “The Admiral’s problem is… complicated, and perhaps a little bit hard for you to understand. But rest assured that none of it is because of you.”

“He seems kind of sad”, Elnor mused out loud.

“He is, I suppose…” Zhaban returned.

“Can’t we do something to cheer him up?” Elnor asked.

“You are a very good kid”, Zhaban said, ruffling Elnor’s hair, before his smile went away. “But no. I think the Admiral needs to solve his problem on his own, on his own term.”

Elnor didn’t understand it, but he supposed he had to take Zhaban’s words.

For now.

—

People came and went the Château Picard. Laris and Zhaban told Elnor that they were the Admiral’s colleagues, and they were there to meet with the Admiral. They were nice, if a little bit tense around Laris, Zhaban, and Elnor. Zhaban and Laris would arrange dinner parties for them, but they rarely stayed for the night, if at all.

Several weeks after Elnor settled in, Admiral Picard got a therapy dog and named him Number One. Laris had explained to Elnor what the dog was for and how to care for the dog when it was not doing its job, but otherwise told Elnor to stay out of its way. The dog was smart, Laris told Elnor, smart enough to assist the Admiral with basic tasks.

It was summertime. The Admiral would go out to the vineyard and walk with Number One every morning. He always insisted on going alone, and neither Laris or Zhaban came with him during these walks, so Elnor left him be. The pair would return when the sun was barely above their head, and the Admiral, then, would always return to his study. He seemed happier when he was with Number One, which said something.

However, one morning was not like the other.

Elnor was in the greenhouse with Laris when Number One trotted toward them. Elnor eyed the dog, then Laris, who seemed surprised to find the dog alone.

“Where is Admiral Picard?” Laris asked the dog.

The dog barked and walked in circle. It looked agitated, if Elnor read the dog’s body language right.

Laris cursed in Rihannsu, threw his trowel, and followed the dog along the vineyard — where Number One guided them to Admiral Picard. He was lying prone on the ground, unmoving.

“Call Zhaban! Tell him to get the ambulance!” Laris shouted at Elnor.

Elnor, shaking, did as he was told.


End file.
